“… In a way, yes.”
Evelyne leaned back, her eyes never leaving his face. He continued.
“She was concerned with how much time I was spending here. Spending with you.”
“She was concerned?”
“Yeah.”
“Really?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah.”
“Was she jealous?”
“Maybe,” Aiden shrugged.
“But what do you think?”
“… Probably.”
“Oh,” she said, then tried miserably to hide her smile.
“What?”
“Nothing, just… It sounds to me like there was another woman.”
“Who?”
“Me.” She held her chin up high, as playfully smug as she could manage.
“Jeez, Mom,” he said while trying his best to hold back his smile. It was a battle he lost. “I don’t know any other mother who would get as much excitement over finding out her son was dumped because of her.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve just never been the other woman before and I want to bask in the moment a little.”
Aiden rolled his eyes and let out an audible laugh. Evelyn giggled.
“Alright, alright. Take all the time you need,” he said. “But at some point, can we get back to the game?”
“Of course,” she replied. “Whose turn is it?”
“Actually, yours. I believe I have you in check.”
This time it was Aiden’s turn to be smug.
Evelyn took his Queen with her Knight. His confidence immediately waned.
“Shit,” Aiden muttered. He leaned back as his eyes darted across the board. “You totally lead me into that, didn’t you?”
“Language, sweetheart,” Evelyn said as she leaned back, crossing her legs and smiling. “And I did indeed.”
He looked at the board. “You… have me locked in.”
“I do.”
“How many moves?”
“I’ll have you mated in six.”
Aiden scanned the board trying to see her plan.
“How?”
“Baby, it was over once you lost your Queen.”
“Yeah, I see that’s a problem, but…”
“Go ahead. Play it out.”
Aiden squinted, searching her eyes for any sign. Evelyn gave none. He returned his attention to the board, hand hovering over the pieces. He moved his Rook, taking out her Knight.
Evelyn moved a Pawn, opening a direct line of attack for her Queen to his King.
“Check,” she said.
“Fuck,” he mumbled, then quickly cast his eyes up to his mother hoping she hadn’t caught his burst. She wagged her finger at him as she sipped.
He moved his King out of her way.
Evelyn advanced her Queen again, chasing his royal piece.
“Check.”
Aiden reached to move, then hesitated. His King was cornered. The few moves it could make would only place it in check. His only options then were to either block the Queen or take her out and he had no pieces in place for the latter. His rook was the only piece available to block. Yet once that was done, there was nothing to stop her from taking that piece as well and locking him into checkmate. It was inevitable. She had already won.
Suddenly the room filled with a bright flash of light and a deafening boom of thunder, then their world was plunged into darkness.
“Mom?”
“Well, there goes the power,” Evelyn’s voice said in the pitch black.
“One second, I got something…”
A moment later there was a spark of light, then another, then finally a small flame shone from Aiden’s small zippo lighter.